Two Alumni Receive Recognition for Contributions to RIT

University names Outstanding Alumnus and Volunteer of the Year

From left are Michael ’69 and Jean Morley and Ken ’71 and Shirley Reed at the President’s Alumni Ball.

Two Rochester area alumni are being honored by Rochester Institute of Technology.

Kenneth J. Reed of Greece is RIT’s Outstanding Alumnus and Michael P. Morley of Pittsford is Volunteer of the Year. The awards will be presented Friday, Oct. 10, at the President’s Alumni Ball, part of the 11th annual Brick City Homecoming.

Reed received a B.S. in chemistry from RIT’s College of Science in 1971. After receiving a Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry from Stanford University in 1975, he joined the research laboratories of Eastman Kodak Co. His 30-year career there focused on reaction chemistry and precipitation of nano-particles and micro-emulsions and resulted in 24 patents and induction into the Kodak Distinguished Inventors Galley. Over the past two years, he and his business partner launched Cerion Energy from RIT’s business incubator, Venture Creations.

In 2000, Reed was awarded the RIT College of Science Distinguished Alumnus award and in 2003 he received the RIT Volunteer of the Year Award. He and his wife, Shirley (past president and current member of RIT’s Women’s Council and former RIT trustee), have two daughters.

Morley, who received a B.S. in business administration from RIT’s College of Business in 1969, retired in 2004 from Eastman Kodak, where he served as chief administrative officer and executive vice president. He has served as chair of the RIT Board of Trustees since 2005. He is also a member of the boards of Via Health, Al Sigl Center and Rochester Area Foundation.

He began his career at Kodak in 1964 in the Film Testing Division at Kodak Park. He held various positions in the company including: general manager of U.S. and Canada, Consumer Imaging Division; vice president and general manager, Consumer Services Division; director of Industrial Relations for the Research Lab and Apparatus Division, and for Kodak Colorado Operations; and director of Personnel Relations, Industrial Relations Division, Kodak Park. He was awarded a Sloan Fellowship for study at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received a master’s degree in management from MIT.

Morley’s wife, Jean, serves on the Board of Directors of Alternatives for Battered Women and is active with the RIT community. They have three children.

The Outstanding Alumni Award, established by the Office of the President in 1952, is the highest honor the institute can bestow on an alumnus/a. The award recognizes graduates who have served RIT through their dedication, loyalty and leadership. The Volunteer of the Year award is presented to an individual who exhibits dedication to the RIT community by being active and involved in institute life while also contributing significantly to his/her community, state, or nation.

From left are Michael ’69 and Jean Morley and Ken ’71 and Shirley Reed at the President’s Alumni Ball.